1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the conveying of granular or bulk materials, and more particularly, to a conveyor reducible in size for use and transport generally in farm and ranch agricultural settings.
2. Background of the Invention
Conveyors are widely used for transporting bulk particulate material, such as seed for planting and seeds from harvested grain. Seeds used for planting or from harvested crops are subject to damage; in the first case, negating their viability and in the second, reducing their value. Consequently, belt conveyors in which an endless driven belt is used are most commonly used for seed transport. Other conveyor configurations, such as auger conveyors are mostly commonly used for moving bulk materials such as silage or commercial grains intended for seed and which are not subject to damage. Seeds or other fragile particulate materials are moved in agricultural operations from bulk storage or seed dispensers, such as bulk seed tenders to planter units and when harvested, from harvester hoppers to grain transport trailers or field trucks and then to storage bins which may be located on the farmstead. The farmer prefers to have his own farmstead grain storage bins so that he may dry grain to a suitable moisture content in a dryer then store the grain himself without elevator storage charges while waiting for an opportune time to sell. Then, the grain must be moved from farmstead storage bins to a transport truck and taken to an elevator, where the grain is either piled outside or stored in still larger bins while awaiting rail or additional truck transport. Thus, seed grain or harvested grain must be moved multiple times, each time exposing the seed to damage and each time under a different set of conditions.
Common farmstead type conveyors for seed transport are belt conveyors, belt because belts are less injurious to seed and are probably less expensive than auger conveyors. These belt conveyors typically use an elongate tube through which an endless belt is driven, the tube supported by transport legs and wheels, the conveyor loading end forming a free standing tripod arrangement with the legs and wheels. The conveyor discharge end dumps the grain into the upper end of a hopper, bin, truck box, planter box, or other receptacle. Farmstead conveyors are made in various lengths from 15 feet to 120 feet. The maximum carry angle of the belt is typically about 25 degrees, so that as taller bins are used for greater storage capacity, ever longer belt conveyors must be used to raise the grain to the needed height. With multiple grain bins, storage buildings, equipment sheds, fences, cattle and hog yards, and the like, the maneuvering area is surprising tight for extra long conveyors.
What is needed is a belt conveyor that is specially adapted for farmstead or small commercial operations and which is portable and adjustable in length so that it can be used within tight confines and for various heights of receptacles. Such belt conveyors may be free standing or mounted to a portable bin carrier, such as a seed tender or grain cart. When mounted to either a seed tender or a grain cart, the advantages of such an adjustable length belt conveyor become quickly apparent. The long conveyor may be selectively reduced in length while the tender or grain cart is under transport and extended when the bin is being emptied. Others have produced folding conveyors but in those configurations, problems are encountered with belt drive mechanisms and belt length take up arrangements.